A breast cancer awareness assembly, organized by Key Club treasurer junior Ben Kramer, was held for all junior and senior girls March 10 during fourth period.

At the assembly, held in the auditorium, about 300 upperclassmen girls listened to the story of breast cancer survivor and ‘81 CHS alumna Sue Ellen Kelley.  Afterward, Suburban Hospital nurse Judy Macon gave a presentation about breast cancer awareness and prevention and answered questions that students submitted.

According to Kelley, in the duration of the assembly, around 12 women would have been told they had breast cancer, emphasizing the severity of the disease.

“Knowledge is truly power,” Kelley said in her speech.

The Suburban Hospital-sponsored “Check it Out” program taught the girls about early detection methods and encouraged them to do monthly self breast exams.

“I thought [the assembly] was inspiring,” junior Joanna Kosmaoglou said. “I became more aware of the importance of self breast exams and of the precautions I should take.”

At one point during the assembly, audience members were asked to raise their hands if they had been touched in some way by breast cancer. The vast majority raised their hands.

After the assembly, the Key Club collected donations to benefit the breast cancer education program “Check it Out.”

“This program runs solely on donations from sponsors and people in the community,” Kramer said. “We are raising money so other girls can get the same opportunities as we are getting.”

Kramer hopes that the students have come away from this assembly with a new sense of awareness and knowledge.

“We have the ability to come together as not just one school, but as one community, for a common cause of spreading breast cancer awareness,” Kramer said in his opening speech.